Basketball Game Preview: Point Arena Pirates vs. Laytonville Warriors

Point Arena is 8-2 against Laytonville since February of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Point Arena Pirates will head out on the road to challenge the Laytonville Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Point Arena knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four matches -- so hopefully Laytonville likes a good challenge.

On Tuesday, everything came up roses for Point Arena against Potter Valley as the squad secured a 74-21 victory. The Pirates have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 20 points or more this season.

It was another big night for Fernando Lopez, who dropped a double-double on 31 points and 17 boards. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. Mateo VanCleave was another key player, going 9 for 16 en route to 22 points.

Point Arena smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive boards in 43 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Laytonville had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 37-26 win over Tomales last Tuesday.

Point Arena pushed their record up to 14-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 31.6 points. As for Laytonville, their win ended a seven-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-10.

Everything came up roses for Point Arena against Laytonville in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 76-16 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Point Arena since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.